Let's say you see the new Venom movie this weekend. Then you want to read the comics. Reading guides can be very overwhelming. So as a Venomaniac, let me give a broader approach discussing main storylines, what's worth your time, and where I think you should/could start.
80s-90s: Origin, First Villain Run, Transition to Hero
The Alien Suit Saga begins in Amazing Spider-Man #252 (1984) after Peter finds the goo in Secret Wars #8. Then more specific Eddie/Venom shenanigans start in 298-300. Venom's whole origin story can be found in a trade paperback (aka a TPB) called Spiderman: Birth of Venom which also includes issues from other series to fill out the story. Venom continues to be a villain in Spider-Man for awhile, so most of his story up through 1993 is found across Amazing Spider-Man and Web of Spider-Man. There're couple of collections that cover parts of this, but the most complete is Spider-Man Vs Venom. From this era you can also get the trade paperback called Carnage: Born in Blood which covers the arrival and birth of Carnage. A more in depth reading guide will give you these individual issues, and you can find them all in Marvel Unlimited or other online source.
(I'm having a hard time finding what I feel is the optimal link, but these have the information, at least).
Birth of Venom individual issues.
Birth of Carnage individual issues.
These are all very 80s and 90s comics, however, so they require a little bit of fortitude if you've never read comics before. This theme will continue up through Venom's solo work through the 90s.
Venom's solo stuff begins with Venom: Lethal Protector in 1993 (available as a TPB). This is the arc where Eddie moves from villain to hero. It also introduces the first symbiote spawn and a few other major lore elements.
Up through the rest of the decade there are A LOT of 3-4 issue mini-runs starting with Venom: Funeral Pyre. You can knock each of them out in an evening, and they provide some details about character and story. You absolutely don't have to read most. There are some key ones, though, where the lore carries through:
Venom: The Madness brings value not in lore, but in narrative. It shows the way Eddie and the other physiologically affect each other. It's also just really good.
Venom: Separation Anxiety separates Eddie and the symbiote, exploring the changes in their relationship and deals with more spawn. This one is a major influence on the first movie.
Carnage: Unleashed gives more development to Carnage and sets a story beat up for later.
Go back to Spider-Man for Planet of the Symbiotes. This expands on symbiote lore and is a key element of Eddie and the others relationship. You can read it as individual issues or as a TPB. This one has a major influence on Venom 1 and 3.
Venom: Sinner Takes All introduces She-Venom, traumatizes Anne, and sets some later lore hooks for story.
Venom: The Hunger expands on the brain eating/addiction and introduces the chocolate substitute. They also hold hands at the movies, and I think that's super important, personally.
Venom: Seed of Darkness is one of the lesser priority ones but does provide some interesting Eddie backstory.
Venom: Finale the symbiote temporarily dies, and it sets up narrative for future comics.
If you've never read comics before, this whole era might be a difficult starting place. Mostly because the ethos of comics have changed, and it can be harder to connect with material from the 80s and 90s. It's not bad, it's just different. It's kind of essential narrative and lore establishment, however. So either accept the challenge or come back to it later and accept you'll have gaps in the lore. If you've read pre-2000s comics before, you'll be fine. Read from the beginning. It's a riot.
Venomnibus 1 and 2 covers this era.
There's a bit of a tricky transition here over the change in millennia as Venom goes back to being a villain for a bit, joining the Sinister Six. Because of this most of the story moves back to Spider-Man. The problem is: there's major story shit introduced, and there isn't a collected edition that covers this era properly. You'll require a reading guide or accept the lore gap.
In 2003 they get their shit together, and Venom becomes a hero again. The first solo run here is Venom Vol 1 by Daniel Way. This is collected into 4-5 trades, also appears in Venomnibus 3, and consists of 4 arcs. This one never got narratively resolved, but Wolverine is there. So that's something. This is probably the most skippable of the "big series" however you could use this as a starting place. It's early enough that you won't be missing the second phase of lore, and it's a more "modern" story. However, it's not the strongest of the runs, so it might set the wrong expectations.
Venom/Carnage is pretty good, introduces Toxin, and transitions us into the next narrative beat.
The Symbiote and Eddie Part Company, Scorpion!Venom Begins
Here is where Venom becomes a villain again!
Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #5-12 are often left off reading guides, but they transition the symbiote from Eddie to Angelo Fortunato to Mac Gargan.
Gargan, as Venom, then joins the Thunderbolts for a while. This is in Thunderbolts #110-127
Dark Reign: Sinister Spider-Man is the story of Mac Gargan fuckin' around as Venom/Dark Spider-Man
I'm of the opinion you can pretty much skip the entire Gargan era, and you won't lose much going forward.
Venomnibus 3 also collects much of this.
Also skip Venom: Dark Origin, for now. It sort of rewrites Eddie in a way that didn't really stick going forward.
Right at the end here, Carnage gets a few more series and Eddie as Anti-Venom is first introduced in Spider-Man. Anti-Venom barely shows up, at first, but he persists going forward. There's no dedicated collection of this.
Flash Thompson/Agent Venom Begins
Here, the government strips the other from Mac and gives it to military vet Flash Thompson
After a bit of Spider-Man prologue, this kicks off properly in 2011 with Venom Vol 2 by Remender and Bunn. The Spider Island crossover as part of this run goes in tandem with Amazing Spider-Man. You can use a guide to sort these issues or get the TPB.
If you start here you're coming in right at the start of the next major phase of lore for Venom that covers all the Cool Space Shit. It's a fan favorite and objectively well-written run, but it's also thematically and narratively a bit of a turn from all the others. It will also be a really really long time before you see Eddie as Venom. So just keep that in mind going forward.
Agent Venom also joins the Thunderbolts from issue #1-23 (Way and Soule). This is skippable.
His story continues in the Guardians of the Galaxy run from 2014, joining in issue #14. The most important part of his tenure with Guardians, however is issue #21-23. This is where we see the symbiote/Klyntar homeworld.
He rejoins the Guardians for 20 issues in the next run starting in 2015, but it's skippable.
I can't find a collected edition that covers the Thunderbolt and Guardians eras, so it might require a reading guide.
Venom: Space Knight is sick as fuck and my favorite with Flash. A lot of good, juicy alien lore.
Eddie Becomes Venom, Again
Before Eddie goes back to his boyfriend, he spends some time as Toxin. The bulk of this is covered in the 2015 Carnage run by Conway.
Venom Vol 3 by Costa begins in 2016, and we see the transition from Flash to Lee Price briefly the finally back to Eddie. This is my personal favorite major run. It currently comes in 4 TPB. Starting here gives you street level Venom again but does drop you deep shit into the lore. You can one-hundred percent start here, though, extremely easily because they treat it as a soft reboot.
You'll see the start of the Venomverse and Venomized runs. You can skip those, for now.
Venom Inc. is available as a TPB and gathers a bunch of cross-issue comics. Lee becomes Maniac. Flash and Eddie duke it out.
Some more lore important stuff happens in Spider-Man, but isn't collected, again.
First Host is a really great mini-run in 2018 that talks about the true first host of the symbiote. It's available as a TPB.
The Cates run (vol 4) (also has Bunn on it) begins in 2018, and it's very very good. It's where the character of Knull comes from, as featured in the new movie. A lot of people start here and have a good time. The way it's narratively constructed, it's beginner friendly, but you're sort of coming in at the end of Eddie's arc.
This also involves the Absolute Carnage and King in Black crossover events which are collected in a TPB/Omni.
This is also all collected in the recent Cates and Stegman Venomnibus.
The current Ewing run (vol 5) ends literally next month (cries), but you CANNOT START HERE. Without the previous Cates run, the current run is missing vital story and lore information. You will be so lost, at first, that it simply won't be fun.
You'll note I've skipped a number of side runs including a few Carnage runs and Toxin. Slot them in if you want additional lore and story, but you can get by without them if it all becomes too much.
The lore drops that appear in Spider-Man in between solo runs might seize you up for a moment, but when necessary, the solo comics will catch you up as needed.
The past five years have also seen a handful of retro-runs that go back in time to tell stories from Eddie's early time with Venom. You could slot them in with the other 90s mini-runs, but I think they're more fun after you've been reading for awhile.
A new run is starting in December called All New Venom where Eddie will no longer be the host. Who will? We don't know! The way it's being advertised, I'm going to make a guess it ends up being a passable starting point for new readers. I'll know when I get my issue #1.
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